Loans of up to £5,000 are being offered for shopfronts to repair or replace shutters, signage, doors, windows or security equipment. Up to £25,000 is being made available by the Friends group.

Vice-chairman of the group and Fishwick councillor Martyn Rawlinson said: “They will be able to take out an interest-free loan to revive their shop fronts, which will include doors, windows, signage, canopies, to renew them and to make the shopping area look better.

“It’s a real opportunity for perhaps some of the shop owners to upgrade the shop fronts, to encourage more shoppers.

“We will only be offering the loans to owners or tenants who can clearly afford the repayments.”